New Qantas route - Perth to Paris from July 2024

Which lounge is this?

Air France has 3 « international » lounges in CDG, T2E-K, T2E-L and T2E-M one for each satellite of the terminal (CDG naming conventions are beyond me).

K currently has the worst lounge down in the basement of the terminal but this is currently changing as AF is taking over the upper 2 floors to create a huge 3 story flagship lounge that was due to open for the Olympics but will probably be delayed until next year I reckon.

L was renovated right before covid and sits on top of the satellite. M is a bit older as it was built with the satellite but is still relatively new.
Yeah it was the K lounge and it was very ordinary
 
I guess this is a brand new opportunity to fly comfy business class SYD-PER - I travelled CBR-PER in business recently, and it was like going back in time with the big coughbersome seats and low-resolution entertainment displays on the Boing 737-800 aircraft.
 
I guess this is a brand new opportunity to fly comfy business class SYD-PER - I travelled CBR-PER in business recently, and it was like going back in time with the big coughbersome seats and low-resolution entertainment displays on the Boing 737-800 aircraft.
I flew J in Iberia and Aegean recently
There weren’t even the big seats
Just a blocked Orf normal middle seat… that part QF does well. (As for their food, Nyet)
 
I flew J in Iberia and Aegean recently
There weren’t even the big seats
Just a blocked Orf normal middle seat…
Standard arrangement in Europe. Has been like this for many years.

Of the European carriers, the only one that I can recall that routinely has "big seats" (like QF domestic) on their narrow body planes in business class is Turkish.
 
QF33 has just landed in Paris. Finally, after the pandemic and years of disputes between QF and PER airport and the French Government, this is now a reality. Also, after 11 years, 2 months and 29 days, Qantas has finally resumed regular services to continental Europe.

Remember all that doom and gloom in 2013-14 when people said that there is no chance of regular QF flights to Europe again? I think the Asian/ME carriers have passed their peak on the Aus-Europe corridor and the tide is turning in Qantas' favour again.

I look forward to FRA returning in the not so distant future as well.
 
think the Asian/ME carriers have passed their peak on the Aus-Europe corridor and the tide is turning in Qantas' favour again.
Yeah sure
$10k return in J with QF on an inferior product and transiting through the dump of PER or $8k return in J with SQ, CX, QR. EY etc
What a tough decision
 
I think the Asian/ME carriers have passed their peak on the Aus-Europe corridor and the tide is turning in Qantas' favour again.
While I agree that some traffic will divert away from those carriers onto QF, these direct flights from Perth into Europe are really just a drop in the ocean compared to the frequency and networks the others offer. These QF flights will always carry a price premium as they have advised also.

With the likes of TK and Riyadh Air still to launch their Australia to Europe direct networks, it’s going to be a while, if ever, until the tide ever turns toward QF.
 
Yeah sure
$10k return in J with QF on an inferior product and transiting through the dump of PER or $8k return in J with SQ, CX, QR. EY etc
What a tough decision
Firstly, CX and EY do not even fly to your city, so I'm unsure as to why you've listed those airlines. You will need to fly two-stop in order to get to CDG with CX and EY, including domestic legs on QF/VA and transit in the "dump" of SYD/MEL, and then transit in HKG/AUH before finally reaching Paris. Also they're the same price or more expensive than one-stop.

I've just searched multiple dates (couple of samples below) in peak and non-peak periods. QR, SQ and EK fall into the same J price range as QF ADL-CDG via PER. Sometimes QF is a bit cheaper, sometimes it's a bit more expensive, but nevertheless it's in the same price range that Google determines as "best" the vast majority of the time. Where did you get your "$8k" figure from, because SQ sometimes charges $2k more than QF via Perth. I also haven't seen any "$8k" from QR or EK.

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QF is either cheaper and/or in the same price range as EK, SQ and QR in all of these three sample travel dates.
 
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Firstly, CX and EY do not even fly to your city, so I'm unsure as to why you've listed those airlines. You will need to fly two-stop in order to get to CDG with CX and EY, including domestic legs on QF/VA and transit in the "dump" of SYD/MEL, and then transit in HKG/AUH before finally reaching Paris. Also they're the same price or more expensive than one-stop.

I've just searched multiple dates (couple of samples below) in peak and non-peak periods. QR, SQ and EK fall into the same J price range as QF ADL-CDG via PER. Sometimes QF is a bit cheaper, sometimes it's a bit more expensive, but nevertheless it's in the same price range that Google determines as "best" the vast majority of the time. Where did you get your "$8k" figure from, because SQ sometimes charges $2k more than QF via Perth. I also haven't seen any "$8k" from QR or EK.

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QF is either cheaper and/or in the same price range as EK, SQ and QR in all of these three sample travel dates.
From ADL for the dates I want I’m looking at $10800 on QF with a junk 737 ADL-PER and a stopover at PER which isn’t what interests me in the slightest.
QR are $9600 same dates on QSuites all the way and a stopover in Doha is always great.
If you must know the prices is mentioned earlier were from SYD as I’m looking at shouting my parents a trip to France next year. and their dates would be fairly set
QF was $10.6k
QR was $9.1k
SQ was $8.7k
CX was $9.1k

So for both our trip and my parents I wouldn’t even consider QF because it’s more expensive and on a vastly inferior product and I’m not interested in stopping or even transiting PER
 
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I acknowledge that QSuites are better than QF J, but I think most people would agree that QF J is on par with SQ J and EK A380 J, and is significantly superior to EK 777 J and QR A380 J.

Depends how much weight someone places on hard product. The actual J seat is the only area where QF could be considered competitive against this group (excluding Q Suites)

I think most people would agree the service, meals, transit lounges, IFE and in-flight wifi are all better on QR/SQ/EK ...
 
Unsure what you mean by this. I acknowledge that QSuites are better than QF J, but I think most people would agree that QF J is on par with SQ J and EK A380 J, and is significantly superior to EK 777 J and QR A380 J.
The seats are the only thing where QF is on par with many others as their seats are good.
IFE, food and beverages are vastly inferior to many other airlines. The transits are another area that just wouldn’t interest me. When I go on holidays I love having a day or two at one of the fabulous locations like SIN, HKG , DXB or DOH that have world class lounges and great for a stopover. I have zero interest in stopping at PER or visiting a subpar lounge there. You also have the problem where unless you live in SYD or MEL you cop the substandard 737 Transcon experience. If I’m paying $10k for a J flight I don’t want to be stuck on a 737
 
Ok I see emotions are high here let me give you a first hand opinion having just come off of the inaugural.

Flying from MEL it was nice to fly in on a 330. Always a treat on such short transcons (miss VA’s J though). QFs wifi is free and is actually usable unlike SQ and EK. People love to dunk on PER but I find the terminal to be perfectly fine, although I can’t wait for the new consolidated one. Go to MEL T3 if you want to see what a real dump looks like.

Clearing security and immigration in PER is a much simpler experience although there is a short period where the last of QF9s pax overlap with the first of QF33.

And you end up with a relatively short and hassle free transit experience ahead of the leap to Europe. CDG was empty, immigration was fast and we aussies had access to the e-gates. CDG 2A feels tiny in comparison so other parts of the airport, a perfect counterpart to the intl area in PER T3/4.

Psychologically the domestic hop to and from PER feels like nothing and a 17 hour flight isn’t much more than a 13-14 hour one from SIN or to/from the middle east. I certainly didn’t feel the difference.

This was in Y, I can’t judge for J but I can’t imagine most people paying for J are grasping at straws for a couple thousand grand. Plus realistically most would be QFF captives. PERLHR is performing stellar and FCO came back for the third year in a row, QF will be fine. From the look of the blankets in the J and Y+ cabins on the way out it looked like every seat was taken there too…


I think ideally going forward I’ll stick to these nonstops when heading back to Australia, prevailing winds make the flights shorter and time gains are more beneficial the longer the flight and theres something special about getting to Australia in one flight especially after a long trip it feels like home already but thats probably me being a victim to the QF effect.

On the westound when I’m not so much in a hurry I’d be perfectly fine flying EK or onto an AF/KL codeshare.
 
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Ok I see emotions are high here let me give you a first hand opinion having just come off of the inaugural.

Flying from MEL it was nice to fly in on a 330. Always a treat on such short transcons (miss VA’s J though). QFs wifi is free and is actually usable unlike SQ and EK. People love to dunk on PER but I find the terminal to be perfectly fine, although I can’t wait for the new consolidated one. Go to MEL T3 if you want to see what a real dump looks like.

Clearing security and immigration in PER is a much simpler experience although there is a short period where the last of QF9s pax overlap with the first of QF33.

And you end up with a relatively short and hassle free transit experience ahead of the leap to Europe. CDG was empty, immigration was fast and we aussies had access to the e-gates. CDG 2A feels tiny in comparison so other parts of the airport, a perfect counterpart to the intl area in PER T3/4.

Psychologically the domestic hop to and from PER feels like nothing and a 17 hour flight isn’t much more than a 13-14 hour one from SIN or to/from the middle east. I certainly didn’t feel the difference.

This was in Y, I can’t judge for J but I can’t imagine most people paying for J are grasping at straws for a couple thousand grand. Plus realistically most would be QFF captives. PERLHR is performing stellar and FCO came back for the third year in a row, QF will be fine. From the look of the blankets in the J and Y+ cabins on the way out it looked like every seat was taken there too…


I think ideally going forward I’ll stick to these nonstops when heading back to Australia, prevailing winds make the flights shorter and time gains are more beneficial the longer the flight and theres something special about getting to Australia in one flight especially after a long trip it feels like home already but thats probably me being a victim to the QF effect.

On the eastbound when I’m not so much in a hurry I’d be perfectly fine flying EK or onto an AF/KL codeshare.
Great to hear about your experience on QF to CDG. It seems like you had a fantastic flight. Were there live PA announcements in French as well, or was it pre-recorded? Was the safety video played in French as well?
 
Great to hear about your experience on QF to CDG. It seems like you had a fantastic flight. Were there live PA announcements in French as well, or was it pre-recorded? Was the safety video played in French as well?
In the terminal yes, seems like there were a couple of french speakers working for QF in PER. On board there was an attempt at a few announcements in French but that was quickly swept under the rug after we took off. The arrival announcements were definitely only in English.

Safety video did play in French but I’m guessing it was already available because of NOU.
 
<ADMIN HAT

Please stick to the thread topic which is QF flights from PER-CDG

Any further off topic posts will be removed.

Thanks

ADMIN HAT >
[mod hat]
It is unfortunate that some seek to derail this thread despite a clear moreator direction from @Princess Fiona.

Severe culling has taken place. Future attempts will result in sanctions.
[/mod hat]
 
. QFs wifi is free and is actually usable unlike SQ and EK.
Not sure if this is entirely accurate with regards to SQ. On Friday I did SIN-JFK and worked on my laptop over wifi most of the way and didn’t experience any outages. Likewise when I did LHR and CDG flights in March and April, although a couple of brief outages over certain areas.

Not sure about EK. Not worth trading of QF gold benefits for their minimal complementary wifi for Skyward Blue members
 

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